Gemotions

He felt his face flush as he walked into the shop, a place he usually avoided. Seeing the ring, the one he knew so well, encased in glass, provoked a wave of nausea. The ring’s beauty, the way it caught the light, felt diminished now, tarnished by its surroundings.

The owner, a woman with a sharp gaze, watched him with a curious expression. She tapped her pen on the counter, waiting. He swallowed, the words catching in his throat.

"That... that's my grandmother's ring," he finally managed, his voice strained. The woman raised an eyebrow, her expression unchanged. The fact that she didn’t immediately recognize the ring, that she saw it as just another piece of jewelry, scraped against his sensibilities.